The two-day 44th South India Rally was also the concluding round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, and attracted 43 starters. Among them were four teams chasing for APRC glory: Former three-time champion Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif), along with debutants Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), Younus Ilyas (Aniruddha Ranganekar) and Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai).
Only Kadur in the VW Polo R5 and Gill (Mahindra XUV 300) made it to the finish, accruing points toward the Asia Cup.
Ghosh and Ilyas encountered mechanical failures on the Sunday, when running second and third, allowing Gill to claim their points haul.
Gill has also confirmed his commitment at challenging for a fourth title: “I am back into the APRC and have registered for three rounds. I will take part in the Japan round for preparation and then the final round in Australia,” said the 40-year old.
The second qualifying round and Asia Cup will be held 10-12 June at Japan’s Rally Montre.
